Ahead of his title defense on Rotterdam, 2-time tournament champion Roger Federer talked to the Dutch media outlet Sport 1 earlier this week discussing several topics.

Federer said he’s not playing Miami because the rules allowed for it, and he didn’t enter because didn’t want to mislead or “trick” his fans who may have intended to purchase tickets hoping to see the great. Instead, Federer said, he will train that much harder for the clay season.

The 31-year-old also said the No. 1 ranking isn’t a big focus as it was last year, but if it’s within reach he’ll make the push. He added that the experience of playing 13 years had told him that being an overall nice guy makes life on the tour that much easier.